Fic Post

[settiai]

This post is where everything happens. All stories/ficlets/drabbles go in the comments here. If your story's too long to fit in a single comment, please post it in your own journal and leave the link in a comment here along with your next pairing request(s). Make certain that you include the pairing you've written as the title of the comment, so that specific pairings can be found easily.

Please don't post any comments that aren't stories. That way, this post will show an accurate count of all the written stories. If you make a mistake or forget something, just edit your comment. If you write a story featuring a specific pairing but somebody posts their story before you post yours, please post it in the overflow post instead of the main one.

If you need help thinking of a pairing to request next or getting inspiration, don't forget The Doctor Who Random Pairing Generator. It includes all of the "main" characters from the various shows, audios, books, and spin-offs. People who aren't participating in the writing can list pairings here that authors can write and/or use as requests in this post.

The rules can be found on the community profile. The masterlist of all written pairings can be found here, while all requested pairings that are still open can be found here. If you want to leave feedback for one of the authors, please go to this post. Any other questions can be asked here.

Note: If you're writing a story for someone's request, please post it as a reply to their comment. Only create a new thread if you've written a pairing that nobody has requested yet.

Comments

Ben/Nine

[livii.livejournal.com]

A bright light flashed past him, followed by an almighty bang. He flinched, and dropped the milk.

"Pol's gonna kill me," he muttered to himself as he tried to move the shards of glass off the walkway and salvage the biscuits that had also been in the bag. He stood up, writing it all off as a loss, and found himself staring at a very intense, very tall man.

The man blinked at him. "Didn't expect that," he said. "Come on then, give us a hand. Those Ice Warriors won't defeat themselves, you know."

"Ice Warriors?" Ben repeated, a nasty tingle spreading down his spine. "What, something to do with sport?"

The man laughed, a short, humourless bark, and reached out and grabbed Ben's hand. Ben stared at it.

"Ben Jackson," the man said, "run for your life."

And they did.

*

"Haven't run that much in ages," Ben said later, streaked with dirt from head to toe. He flopped down outside the ruined building, sirens wailing in the distance. "Ten years now, pretty much. So, Doctor, when did you change your face?"

The Doctor blinked at him again; it was disconcerting, Ben thought.

"Seen you do it before, remember?" Ben said, with a laugh. "Thought we'd seen the last of you, though."

"So did I," the Doctor said. Ben frowned.

"Here, Doctor, this ain't like you. I know you must miss having me and Pol around, but that's no reason to go over all funny like that." He smiled, hoping the Doctor would take the joke.

The Doctor laughed again, but his eyes narrowed. "Ben Jackson," he said, looking like he was reviewing a file in his mind, or something like that. You never really could tell what the Doctor was thinking, after all. "You left before the Ice Warriors."

"Must have," Ben said cheerfully, as the Doctor sat down next to him. "How's Jamie, by the way? Ain't he with you?"

The Doctor's whole demeanour changed; suddenly his shoulders were slumped, his head bowed, his spirit broken.

"They're all gone," he said, his voice a harsh rasp. "And for what?"

"Here now," Ben said, shocked at the change in the man, the man who even when he was old and a bit decrepit had always seemed so strong. He reached out his hand, and took the Doctor's hand in his. "I'm here, and so is Pol. And you're here, right? Defeating the bad guys and saving the world? Ain't that something?"

The Doctor turned to him, a spark of fire burning in his eyes again. Ben shivered.

"Yes, Ben Jackson," he said. "That sure is something." He laughed, then, and Ben joined in, a little unsure, but relieved at the change in the mood, even if the Doctor still seemed somewhat cold and distant.

"Come on," the Doctor said, finally, standing up. "You need to get home, and I have to keep going. The world keeps spinning and I keep running, and you keep living. That's how it always is."

"Visit us any time," Ben said, standing up as well. "Pol, she'd love to see you. Though I don't know, might be a bit too handsome to take home now, and tall, too. Not an old man now, are you!"

"I'm older than the dirt beneath your feet," the Doctor said fiercely, "and you should never forget that I have always, always been here." Without another word, he swept Ben into an embrace. The two men stood there for a while, and Ben found it felt natural, wrapped in the Doctor's leather-clad arms; he felt the earth spinning beneath him and for just a moment, he had stars in his eyes again, the taste of adventure pricking his tongue.

"Take care of yourself, Ben," the Doctor said, finally, pulling away. He strode off without looking back.

"And you, Doctor!" Ben called back. "And you!"

He waited and watched until the Doctor was gone from view, and turned for home. Along the way, he whistled; something from another planet, another time.


Requests: Benton/Rose, Five/Tegan, Ace/Glitz